Using smoke and fog

sfoster

sfoster

Well-known member
I worked on a movie set a few years back and they used smoke for just about every scene. They used a charcoal smoke thing that smelled pretty bad, but was supposedly safe to breathe. I was curious if anyone knows what it is and where to get it. Also I've used fog effectively but the smoke seemed to work a lot better. Does anyone have tips on using fog or smoke? AND when and why?
 
Apparent use of fog or smoke is to show fog or smoke. When used subtly it can add an atmospheric haze just allowing use to see beams of light without really noticing the haze.

As far as smoke machines go, most used on indi sets are those Halloween oil based machines, which require a heating time and reheat time after every use.

These are good for smoke when needed to fill a space fast. Unless you let it settle, the smoke will most likely be uneven throughout.

Haze machines on the other hand can release a consistent load of haze, or be used manually. These particles tend to cling in the air longer and will not replicate smoke because it tends to have a more smooth and gradual effect (unlike smoke)

I prefer haze when just trying to get the beams to appear in the air. I use fog machines when I want a room fogged up with more think and noticeable smoke.

Just be sure to keep your fog, haze or smoke consistent. The trick is to keep it the same thickness otherwise continuity gets rough.
 
Charcoal? You've got to be kidding...

Be sure to keep your equipment clean. One contaminated fog or smoke machine - especially the cold-process ones - can spell lung infections for everyone on set.
 
It wasn't your typical charcoal, but that is what it looked like. It would burn some incense type stuff. Much like you would use on a hookah bong. Maybe I'll just buy some hookah and the charcoal and throw it in a can with a fan!
 
Years ago, on Dave Fincher's LA Woman video, we must have burned a thousand sticks of incense all over the set...

...everybody went home with incense.

I did, anyway.
 
Hi SFoster,

Yes, you're wise to consider safety issues with smokers and foggers - at least I did when I read these posts and followed the associated links.

But then back in Viet Nam everyone use to spray cans of DDT all around the hooch to cover up the fumes after toting the "noble weed", so who knows...

Happy Trails, Michael
 
In the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, they used fog and smoke to create the look of early morning, like when you just wake up.
 
If you buy one though, buy a proper hazer. You can buy 'hazer' machines that are just small fog machines in a box with a fan, which is totally different from haze. Real haze will saturate the air and you dont see any swirls or patterns. Smoke is affected by air movements...

Something like this

Stay away from the cheap fog machines...
 
That is why I was looking for smoke instead of fog. Hazers are expensive and I was trying to find a cheaper alternative that doesn't show up except when streams of light hit it!
 
I have a fog machine. Would it be possible to use that in a lightless room to make a flashlight beam evenly visible without the appearance of fog? How would I go about doing it?
 
I have a fog machine as well. It's good for simulating smoke or, uhm, fog, but not good at all for filling a room with subtle haze -- in fact it doesn't work at all.

A hazer is on my list, so if anyone knows of an affordable true hazer let us all know!
 
I've been renting a DF-50 hazer on a lot of shoots. It's one of the better machines I've used. Warms up fast. Some others take forever.
 
Do fog machines release warm fog? I imagine if you were looking for even fog that resembles haze, you could possibly make it come out of something really hot. That way it would diffuse quickly and be pretty thin. This definitely wouldn't work outside.
 
I'll bet what you saw was a bee smoker; a galvanized can with a bellows on it.

I think I've become allergic to Catholic incense from all the hours I spent working in that smoke.

The haze machine sounds like the way to go...
 
i've been using a fog machine i got from cheaplights.com - it's not perfect but it was only $75 and the capacity is huge (i think i kinda went overboard on the size of the unit .. ).. in any case, you can sorta simluate haze if you let in a lot of smoke and then use a fan or a large piece of carboard to "blend" it. (i've used a 5 in 1 reflector for a fan :))
this way you can get a sort of consistent no-swirl fog effect but it doesnt last very long.. it's hard to keep it consistent for a long period of time
 
Forget the fog or haze machines and just by haze-in-a-can. It costs like $12 and all you do is spray and one can can last a long time. One 20 seoncd spray can fill up a room (even if it's not block off for ventilation) for 5 minutes. Just google it, because I can't remember where I bought mine. It worked great for light beams. I'm completely sold and may never use a smoke machine ever again.
 
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